Star Trek-Eclipse 1 Heritage
by KittycatTrekkie
Summary: "Space...the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Eclipse. It's mission-to explore strange new worlds...to seek out new life and new civilization...to boldly go where no man has gone before." My version of the parents of Simon Tarses in the TNG episode "The Drumhead."
1. Chapter 1

_Stardate-_2301.45

**Prologue**

The tricorder bleeped and hummed as Elsie Tarsus scanned the area. "No life signs over here," she called unsatisfied. "None over here either," came the deep voice of Dr. Simon Tarsus, her husband.

"Over here!" Called Lieutenant Commander Russell, the leader of the away team. "I've got something, over this way!" Elsie and Simon ran over to meet him. "It's over that sand dune, about a hundred meters from here. Two life signs." The three began following the readings.

As they crested the hill on the M-class planet, Elsie wondered what they would find. They had been sent by their Captain to investigate a wrecked unknown, small ship that had crashed on this desert planet not far from the Neutral Zone. Earlier, their ship had received a general distress signal from the damaged vessel. They had scanned two life forms aboard, apparently humanoid. All attempts for communication had been futile. They had watched helplessly, out of tractor beam range, as the ship had plunged into the atmosphere.

Elsie was jolted from her thoughts as the group stopped and was joined by Lieutenant Torres, who was the final member of the team. Then together, they continued following Russell's tricorder.

Finally, they came upon the ship. It appeared to be some kind of shuttle craft, but it was in terrible condition. Phaser blasts had burned the exterior. Smoke was rising from it, and the whole front was smashed. Elsie was surprised that anything or anyone had survived this.

"I'm still getting two life signs," Russell said while trudging through the sand. "But one is very faint." He flipped open his communicator. "Russell to _Austria_."

"Captain here. Go ahead Commander." the instrument answered.

Torres cautiously looked over the outside of the craft. He was an expert on alien culture. "This ship is definitely Romulan. Probably some kind of shuttle craft," Torres pronounced solemnly and began scanning it thoroughly with his tricorder.

"We have located the wrecked vessel and it is definitely Romulan." Russell went on to the Captain. "We're about to attempt entry, I'll keep you updated. Russell out." He flipped his communicator down as he made his way closer to the ship.

"Torres, keep watch out here." Russell ordered. Then he gestured toward both Elsie and Simon. "Tarsus, come with me."

Elsie glanced carefully over the green, broken vessel as she followed Russell and her husband. She watched as the two struggled at opening the very, smashed door. That being unsuccessful, the two combined their efforts and used their phasers to cut a hole large enough for one at a time to squeeze through. Russell crawled in first followed by Simon and Elsie. Upon entering, Elsie gasped at what she saw. A female humanoid had collapsed on the floor and was covered in debris.

Simon, being the doctor quickly ran to her first. As a team, they started to yank off the rubble. Then Simon gently lifted the mysterious female up and began scanning her with his medical tricorder. Elsie crouched down beside them. The mysterious female was badly injured, Elsie could tell as much.

Simon looked up sharply. His blue eyes were stern. "She's human." Elsie looked confusedly around wondering why a human was on a Romulan craft. "Is she alive?" Asked Russell.

Simon put his tricorder back and carefully pushed a metal capsule that she had been laying on, over to the side. Yes," he replied. "But she is too badly injured. The best we can do is to make her comfortable."

Russell paced around the vessel. "Can you at least wake her?" Simon exhaled noisily. "I can try. Here, help me move her." Russell and Simon softly lifted the woman and carried her to a more comfortable spot on the ship.

Simon skillfully gave her a hypo in an attempt to wake her. She lay still.

"Try a higher dose." Russell commanded. "We have to know what she was doing on this ship." Simon did as he was told. The woman stirred and opened her eyes. She began to speak inaudibly.

"Come on, it's alright," Simon cooed.

"What are you doing on this ship?" prodded Russell. The woman gestured to the capsule. Even moving seemed to take great effort. "Save…save my-"A spasm of pain interrupted her and she cried out. Simon tried to give her another injection.

"No," She heaved pushing away his hand. "It's-too-late…for me." Then she gestured to the capsule again, more urgently this time. "Just-save-my-precious…" Her last word was lost to them.

"Your 'precious' what?" Russell urged.

The mysterious woman then slumped a little and closed her eyes. "My precious…" she muttered one last time, and then gradually lay still. Simon stood up. "She's dead." He pronounced gravely. All three discouraged, began to scrutinize the capsule.

Russell cocked his head to the side and began to inspect the container. "I wonder what's in that thing." Simon shrugged. "Could be anything." Russell nodded to Elsie. "See if you can open it."

Being in engineer and skilled in linguistics, she was the ideal choice for this particular assignment. She nodded and bent over to evaluate it. It was rectangular and a little more than half a meter in length. On the top was some sort of coded lock. There was some writing in the language of Romulans. She strained her eyes trying to read it. "Fragile...do not…drop."

"Well that's not helpful," observed Simon. Elsie glared at him. "It appears to have some sort of coded lock."

Suddenly, Russell's communicator spoke. "Captain to Russell." Russell flipped it open. "Russell here."

"Report." The Captain responded.

"Captain, we've found a human female aboard who was clutching a capsule that we are attempting to open."

"A human? Aboard a Romulan vessel?" The Captain gasped. "What is her explanation?"

Russell sighed. "There is none. She's dead. All she would say was that we were to save her 'precious' something."

"Curious," was the response. "Let me know if you find anything. Captain out." Russell flipped his communicator back then nodded to Elsie. "Carry on."

Elsie continued her examination. It seemed to be a letter or number password. Closer examination of the Romulan markings revealed that only letters were available. She looked up at the two officers. "I need a password."

Russell looked thoughtful. "How about…Romulans? Or Romulan?" Elsie tried the idea, and then shook her head. "How about fragile?" suggested Simon. But it failed as well.

"Oh this is going to be impossible!" complained Simon. "There are a thousand things it could be. Let's just take it up to the ship and have an expert deal with it."

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Elsie. She quickly typed it in. She heaved a sigh of relief as the lock clicked off. Russell and Simon looked astonished.

"What was it?" They both asked at once. Elsie smiled. "I typed in her last word, 'precious'." Russell and Simon looked annoyed.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Simon threw his arms up as he asked the wall. Elsie grinned as she pulled the lid open. Loud cries filled their ears. Startled, Elsie peeked inside.

A small baby wrapped in blankets lay within. Elsie gasped and gently lifted the child. Russell and Simon hurried over.

"What? A child?" Russell leaned over to look. Simon began to scan it with his medical tricorder. He shook his head as he put his tricorder away. "This just keeps getting more and more mysterious."

"What's the matter? Is it alright?" Asked Russell. Simon stared at the child. "He's a Romulan."

Elsie softly pushed the baby's hair back. It was true. His ears were slightly pointed and his eyebrows were ascending. She smiled at the baby and he stopped crying for a moment. He gazed at her with eyes that were so soft, so trusting. In that moment she felt herself bond to him. She set her heart on making him her own child.

"He'll probably be fine", Simon interrupted her thoughts. "But I'd like to get him to sickbay as soon as possible in case he goes into shock."

"What was a human doing on a Romulan ship, with a Romulan child anyway?" Elsie questioned softly.

"Perhaps it's her child too?" offered Russell.

"A DNA test would confirm that." Simon nodded.

Just then, Torres poked his head in. "Everything alright?"

"Yes Lieutenant." Russell nodded to him. "We're just about to beam back." He flipped open his communicator once more. "Russell to transporter chief, six to beam up."

* * *

Simon Tarsus strolled into sick bay to find his wife Elsie hovering above the Romulan child. She looked up as he entered the room.

"Did the Captain contact the Romulans?" She asked. Simon ran a hand through his dark hair. "Yes. They refuse to claim the child. They even went so far as to accuse us of making up the story." He crossed his arms. "Then they said if we didn't leave the border to the neutral zone in one hour, they would fire on us for trespassing!"

Elsie shook her head. "This is a small starship, no threat to them. Obviously there is something about this child that alarms them."

Simon crossed his arms. "Well, the DNA test came back positive, so he is half human. Maybe that idea didn't go over well with them." Elsie began walking over to him. "What will happen to the child now?"

Simon chose his words carefully. "Well, he'll probably be adopted by a human family." Elsie looked at him with a gleam in her brown eyes.

"Oh no." he objected knowing what was coming. "Don't even ask."

"Please Simon!" she pleaded. "It would be better for him if he was adopted by someone from the away team who rescued him."

"Elsie!" He scolded. "We have a career in Starfleet that we've both worked hard for. Do you really want to give that up?"

"You knew when you married me that I wanted children someday." Elsie pointed out.

"Yes but that's someday, not right now." Simon looked over at the child. "Besides, he's a Romulan."

"That doesn't make a difference! Please Simon, I love Derrick." Elsie gestured to the child. "Look how sweet he is."

Simon stared at her, exasperated. "You didn't name it. Did you?"

"Just look at him for a minute." She insisted, ignoring the question. "He needs someone to love him; someone to take care of him." Elsie pushed her auburn hair behind her ear then took a deep breath. "That someone could be us."

Simon looked at the child. He smiled. "He is kind of cute." Hearing himself falling for her ruse, and he threw his arms up in defeat. "Alright, alright! I'll think about it."

Elsie squealed for joy and ran to hug him. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Simon exhaled noisily and pulled her back to look her into her chocolate colored eyes. "There is no saying no to you is there?"

"You're not going to regret this one." She whispered, beaming. "I love you."

Simon gazed at her lovingly. "I love you more." Then he kissed her affectionately.

AN-By the way I use the stardate system from the new movies. It's easier to keep track of.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

_Stardate-2344.33_

Araminta Evans looked dreamily out of the shuttlecraft window. Her friend, Naomi Spencer sat chatting away in the other seat as usual. The two had served together on their last assignment. It had been on space station Deep Space 4 and it wasn't long before the two had been requested by a captain of a star ship and had been transferred.

Araminta's heart beat faster at the thought of being captain of a starship. When she was a young child, her grandfather, Hikaru Sulu, had told her stories of being captain. Her mother never made it to captain, but she had also served aboard a starship. Ever since, she wanted to be just like them. Serve aboard a ship, then someday make it to the top. After school, she had spent her four years in the academy and had two assignments at space stations the last two years.

"Hello? Earth to Minty!" Naomi's shout made Araminta jump. "Did you hear _anything_ that I just said to you?" Her coffee colored face looked crinkled with irritation.

Araminta bit her lip guiltily trying to think of the last thing that she had remembered Naomi saying. "You said…that you were so excited that we finally got a ship assignment?"

Naomi rolled her eyes. "No! Not even close. Seriously Minty, what's on your mind? You've been so distracted lately!" Naomi's brown black eyes bored into Araminta's own almond ones.

"I'm sorry Naomi," Araminta sighed. "I'm just so thrilled about finally being on a ship that, I just got lost in thought." _And dreaming about being captain… _She added to herself thoughtfully. Naomi stared out the shuttlecraft window. Suddenly she pointed excitedly.

"Look Minty, there it is! That's our ship." Araminta gazed eagerly out at the vessel.

It was a large, constellation class star cruiser shaped like saucer, with four warp nacelles mounted on the stern, two upper, two lower. She knew from studies at the academy that this enabled the ship to go to a maximum speed of warp 9. It had 15 decks and could hold a crew compliment of 535. Its registration number read _NCC-1121_ and it gleamed under the name _USS ECLIPSE._ The gray exterior looked a little rough from age; it was an old ship after all. But it still had a lot of life in it. _It's beautiful, _Araminta thought excitedly to herself. _I'll bet that ship has a lot of exciting stories it could tell. _

Araminta was startled by the sudden voice from her communicator. "Transporter Chief to Ensign Evans," Araminta snatched it up.

"Evans here."

"Are you ready for transport?" The voice asked.

"Yes two to beam out." She replied enthusiastically. "Energize."

The two forms flickered as they were beamed from the craft and appeared on the transporter pad. They were met there by three officers and the transporter chief. The captain stepped forward to greet the two. He was of medium height, dressed in a red uniform and had strawberry blond hair slicked back on his head. His sea blue eyes were unreadable; he seemed to be a very formal man.

"I'm Captain Stewart Mooney. Welcome aboard." He gestured to a Vulcan female also in red with dark hair pulled back in a tall braid. "This is my First Officer, S'lvanya Nels; my Second Officer, Derrick Tarses and my transporter Chief, Kevin McFadden." He gestured to an attractive male Vulcan in blue and a brunette male human in yellow.

Naomi, the more outgoing of the two, spoke up first. "I'm Ensign Naomi Spencer." Araminta followed suit. "Ensign Araminta Evans. I'm very pleased to be here." She added truthfully. Her heart leaped as she locked eyes with Lieutenant Tarses. _He sure is handsome…_ Araminta blushed at her sudden thought. _Get ahold of yourself Minty! He's a Vulcan, he could never love me! _

"Are you two Vulcans?" Araminta snapped back to reality as Naomi asked the two humanoids the question in her usual blunt manner.

"I've seen pictures but never actually in person." Araminta was surprised by Naomi's boldness. _Oh dear, I hope she hasn't offended them!_ Araminta thought in dismay.

"My father was a Vulcan, but my mother was a human." Derrick replied seemingly unoffended. "So I am half Vulcan."

S'lvanya raised an eyebrow. "I am only half Vulcan as well. My father is from the planet Vulcan, but my mother is from Beta Zed."

Naomi's eyes bulged with surprise. "You're half _Betazoid_? So can you like, read minds and stuff?"

S'lvanya looked annoyed. "No I was not born with the ability. I have certain senses, but that is all."

Captain Mooney spoke up once more. "Commander Nels will show you two to your quarters. We are pleased to finally have you onboard." Then he and Commander Tarsus turned and exited the transporter room. S'lvanya gestured for the two ensigns to follow her.

Araminta jabbed Naomi in the side as they followed S'lvanya. "Ow! What was that for?" Naomi whispered irritably. Araminta rolled her eyes. "You're going to make everyone on this ship hate you if you keep being so frank."

"Okay, okay!" Naomi consented. "I'll try to think before I open my mouth next time."

As they approached their quarters, Araminta's thoughts reverted back to Lieutenant Tarses. She hoped she could see him again some other time. _ I'm sure he'll be around…_

After settling in to their quarters, Araminta and Naomi reported to sickbay for their medical examinations. Once they arrived, the two were greeted by a small tortoiseshell cat. Naomi gave a start.

"What is this _animal_ doing in here?" she asked irritated. The cat growled at her angrily. Suddenly, her form began flickering; it lasted for only a moment. It reminded Araminta of someone being transported, but took less time.

Araminta gasped in shock at what she saw. _A female humanoid squatted in the cat's place!_

She had long black hair with golden brown highlights and pointed cat ears that peeked from atop her head. A long fluffy tail snaked from behind her back and she was outfitted in a turquoise and black Starfleet uniform. Her amber cat-like eyes burned with anger.

Naomi jumped back in surprise. The feline-humanoid growled and circled her. "Who are you calling an animal?" She spat. As Araminta watched the cat-like being, she noticed that she was very lithe, like a feline. _She must be some sort of alien, but what? _She shuddered eyeing the way that she treated Naomi. _I'd better not ask._

"I'm no more of an _animal_ than you are!" She furiously poked Naomi several times with a claw-like fingernail. Naomi stuttered nervously. "I-I'm sorry. I just thought…" She was saved by the doctor who had just walked into the room.

"Amari!" He called in an accent similar to a British one on Earth. "Why are you attacking our new ensigns?" The cat-like humanoid he referred to as Amari glared at Naomi. "This person called me an _animal_!"

Araminta scrutinized the doctor. He was tall and thin, wore his straight jet black hair in a scruffy sort of way and had a warm smile.

"Come now Amari, I'm sure she didn't mean it." He soothed. "She was probably just startled by your appearance, that's all." Amari looked critically at Naomi. "Well, I suppose I can look over it-this one time." After saying, she elegantly strolled over and sat on a near-by chair.

The doctor looked apologetically at the two ensigns. "I'm sorry about Amari's behavior. She's been sort of…agitated lately. By the way, I'm Dr. Sherman. Emmett Sherman. And you've already met Amari, one of my nurses," he gestured to the feline-humanoid and her tail tip flicked irritably.

"I'm Ensign Naomi Spencer." Naomi replied more cautiously this time. Araminta chuckled to herself. _Perhaps she'll take my advice more readily next time._

"I'm Ensign Araminta Evans." Araminta greeted him. "We've just arrived on the ship and we're here for our medical examinations."

* * *

Derrick Tarses stared uncomprehendingly at the screen. _No, _he thought wretchedly. _It can't be true. They can't be dead. _Painfully he rose from his chair and paced the room.

Moments ago, he'd been relieved of his post to retrieve the personal message he had received. Thinking it was his parents wanting to have their weekly conversation with him, he had eagerly hurried to his room. His heart plummeted as the message had revealed that the station his parents had served at had been destroyed in an accidental explosion. They had died immediately.

Anguish tore at him. They may not have been his birth parents, but Simon and Elsie Tarses had always treated him just as they had their younger biological children.

Derrick always told people that he was half Vulcan. He'd never told anyone his true background. In reality, Derrick was half Romulan; the identity of his true parents being unknown. His adoptive parents had told him of how they found him, and that he was half Romulan even from a young age; they had never hid it from him. They had felt that he would be pre-judged if they had told everyone on the Mars colony they lived in the real story.

But since Vulcans and Romulans were closely related, Derrick didn't think it made much of a difference physically, except for the V shaped mark between his eyebrows. He reached up and felt his own V mark. _Mine is so light,_ he thought. _ It's not even that obvious. _A sudden thought occurred to him.

_This was no accident._ He thought furiously. _That station was too near the Neutral Zone, a Romulan spy could have very easily planted an explosive._

He recollected that part of the story his parents told included the Romulans accusing them of lying about him and even threatened the ship if they didn't leave. _They killed my parents because of me._ Bile rose in his throat. He was sure this was a fact. _I'll be next if I'm not careful. _He thought darkly. _There must be something about me that unnerves them. _

Derrick strode over to the window and gazed at the stars his mother had treasured so much. His eyes stung with tears. _I didn't even get to say good-bye…_ He dipped his head sadly as a salty tear trickled off his nose.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Araminta walked briskly on her way to the turbolift. Once inside she called out: "Main Bridge." Immediately the lift began moving. _I'm finally going to work at the Helm! _She thought excitedly. She had been on the ship for three days and today she'd been assigned to the main bridge.

Abruptly the lift stopped and Araminta stepped onto the bridge. She looked around in admiration. The helm and navigation stations were located at the front of the bridge behind the viewscreen. The captain's chair was near the center, with the first officer's chair with console behind and a little off to the right. Behind the command chairs was the tactical station with engineering station to the far rear on one side, and science on the other. Behind her was one turbolift, the other being on the same wall farther to the right. To the far left of the captain's chair was the entrance to his ready room.

She nodded to the captain before taking her post at the helm. "Ensign," Captain Mooney called. "Slow us down to warp 2." Araminta smoothed her fingers over the screen then pressed the appropriate keys. She stole a glance over at Derrick in navigation.

His black-brown hair was fashioned in a normal Vulcan style with long bangs that nearly covered the tips of his slanted eyebrows. His eyes were a deep brown and his ears were pointed just as most Vulcans were, but not as dominantly. A closer look at his face revealed an almost V shaped mark between his brows. _It must be a genetic mark. _She thought inquisitively. _I like it. It's so unique. _

Soon they had nearly arrived at their destination. "Sir, we are within visual range." She informed Captain Mooney. "Put it on the viewscreen." He replied. "Any life forms?"

"There seems to be too much interference. I can't get through." As the planet appeared, Araminta thought it looked dismal. It was brown and dusty, very unwelcoming. It was the second planet from the sun so it was probably scorching hot.

"Ensign, put us in orbit of this planet," The captain continued. "We'll send an away team immediately. After Araminta complied, the Captain gestured to S'lvanya. "Nels, prepare an away team." She nodded and pointed at several officers in the room. "Tarses, Evans, Rao, you're with me. Captain, could you please inform Amari to meet us in transporter room two?"

Araminta was surprised that she had been chosen. _My first mission, how exciting! _She thought eagerly.

Derrick, Araminta and an officer known as Rao followed S'lvanya into the lift. "Deck eight." S'lvanya called out. The turbolift began moving. Araminta glanced over at Rao. He was short, had almost chocolate skin, black/ brown eyes and dark hair smoothed forward then pushed up in the front

"I'm Ensign Araminta Evans." She introduced herself cheerfully. "I'm Lieutenant Vijay Rao." He responded quietly in an accent of India on Earth. "I'm Chief of security." Araminta furrowed her brows in thought. "That's funny. I thought for sure I saw you the other day as an ensign in engineering."

Vijay huffed irritably. "No, that would be my twin brother, Viktor." Derrick snickered. "Yes. It is easy to confuse the two. Viktor could care less about it, but Vijay doesn't take to it too kindly."

Vijay rolled his eyes. "I am two inches taller than Viktor. Also my voice is deeper. I don't understand how everyone can think that I am him." Just then the turbolift stopped and the four made their way to the transporter room.

Once there, the four treaded up onto the transporter pads. Kevin pressed a few keys on his pad then looked up. "Whenever you're ready." A few minutes passed before Amari finally arrived, in humanoid form. She bounded gracefully up onto her pad.

S'lvanya nodded to Kevin. "Energize." The five officers flickered on the pad as they were beamed to the surface. Araminta looked around after they had been successfully transported. The planet appeared deserted. They were what once must have been a prosperous city. Now, the buildings were in shambles. S'lvanya and Derrick pulled out their tricorders and began scanning. "I'm not getting any life signs," Derrick replied after a moment. "But I am getting some sort of radiation readings about twenty meters from here to the north."

S'lvanya confirmed this. "Let's head that way." Amari shimmered and once again was feline. Araminta was once again surprised that she could change so quickly. _If I would have blinked, I would have missed it, _she mused. _She could easily sneak up on someone without them even noticing. _

The reading led them to a damaged building. It seemed to be in almost worse condition than the others. S'lvanya inspected the structure. "I believe it is safe enough to enter." She gestured to Vijay. "Rao, you stay out here and let us know if anything happens out here." He nodded. "Aye Sir." Satisfied, S'lvanya entered the building followed by Derrick, Amari and Araminta. She pulled out her communicator to update the captain.

Upon entering, Araminta was surprised by the contents of the building. It had aged yet advanced technology. _This must have been some sort of laboratory? _She wondered feeling a little wary. _Something about this place gives me chills. _

S'lvanya and Derrick continued surveying and scanning the room. "Such advanced machinery. What happened here?" S'lvanya murmured to herself walking to a different part of the structure.

Amari daintily padded over to an unusual looking devise and clawed her way up. It was shaped in an arch, with panels on both sides. Curious, Araminta followed. She pulled out her own tricorder and began to scan it. Her eyes grew wide in astonishment and she called Derrick over. He bounded over to her.

"What is it?" He queried with interest. "Look at this." Araminta insisted showing him her readings. "What the…?" Derrick began startled. He was interrupted by a peculiar clicking sound.

The alien computer began making an eerie beeping. Araminta glanced over at Derrick in alarm. The machine began to shake and the middle of the arch began to glimmer as Araminta and Derrick slowly took a few steps backward. Amari yowled loudly in fright as she hopped off attempting to flee.

Suddenly, the center of the arch began pulling them in. It was a swirling vortex that yanked at them harder and harder. Araminta grabbed the table next to her, clinging for her life. She cried out in alarm as she watched as both Derrick and Amari were pulled in. Sensing that something was wrong, S'lvanya bolted in only soon enough to watch disbelievingly as Araminta was sucked into the arch.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

S'lvanya stared unblinkingly at the machine. Suddenly, Vijay burst into the room. "Is there a problem?" He asked concerned. "I heard someone scream so I-" He broke off as he noticed that half the team was missing. "Where's the rest of the team?"

"We seem to have lost three members of our crew." S'lvanya finally answered. "They were pulled into some kind of vortex that came from that arch."

Vijay's eyes widened. "Are they alright? Do you know where they are?" He asked apprehensively.

"I do not know." She pulled out her communicator. "Nels to _Eclipse_."

"Captain here. Anything to report Commander?"

"We have lost three members of the away team. They seem to have been sucked into some sort of machine." S'lvanya recounted.

"Are they alright? Can you retrieve them?" Captain Mooney asked concern in his voice.

"I don't know. Rao and I are investigating." She replied.

"Right. I'll beam down O'Reilly and Sherman to help you out. Keep me apprised, captain out."

S'lvanya put her communicator away and walked outside with Vijay. Two forms began appearing near the building. Soon they could clearly see Dr. Emmett Sherman and Chief Engineer Raina O'Reilly.

Raina brushed a few stray ginger curls back into her ponytail. She puffed out her cheeks and blew out a puff of air as she padded over to the others. "Okay let's see this awful thing." She muttered. S'lvanya led the way inside the building to the arch.

Raina scrutinized it. "Well, it's not like anything I've ever seen. Someone must have activated it though somehow." She began to circle it cautiously. "There has to be some sort of button or switch around here somewhere." She spotted an uneven part of the floor.

"Aha! Here." She bent down and inspected the ground. "This is it. Someone must have stepped on this tile here." She looked up her emerald green eyes gleaming with excitement. Emmett looked skeptical. "Well that explains how it was set off. That doesn't explain where they went." Raina strode closer to the arch. She examined the panels on both sides. Then she walked around the back poring over the whole thing before walking through the center of it.

Meanwhile, Vijay pulled out his tricorder and began to scan it. His eyes grew large. "Look! This is the source of the energy readings we were getting earlier." He showed it to S'lvanya. "The readings are the strangest I've ever seen."

S'lvanya looked sharply at the machine. "Raina! What is this thing capable of?" Raina hurried over. "It's encoded in an alien language. Without knowing what the buttons mean I can't do anything."

"I know a few alien dialects," Emmett spoke up. "Let me take a look." Emmett carefully walked over the uneven floor as he followed Raina to the arch.

Vijay sighed. "This might take a while."

* * *

Araminta awoke lying on the ground. She groaned and opened her eyes just a slit. She seemed to be just outside of a thriving town. She shut her eyes and turned her head. _I must be dreaming. _She thought her head aching. She opened her eyes once more. Derrick was leaning over her. Quickly she shut her eyes again feeling her cheeks heat up. _Now I know I'm dreaming. _She thought embarrassed. _If I close my eyes I'll be back in my quarters on the Eclipse._

"Ensign Evans? Are you alright?" Derrick asked her. She sighed as she sat up, evidently not asleep. Araminta pulled her long dark hair back into the high ponytail that she usually kept it in. "Yes I'm okay. Where are we?" She mumbled sleepily looking around.

Old Earth style buildings surrounded them and wooden carriages pulled by horses lit up the town. People were bustling, women outfitted in long dresses and men in slacks and button up shirts.

"It appears to be a town on the planet Earth around the late nineteenth century C.E." Derrick replied.

Araminta's eyes widened. "The last thing I remember was going on the away team."

Derrick nodded. "Yes. My tricorder was getting strange energy readings. When we found the source it dragged us in."

Araminta stood up. "Are we the only ones?" She queried dusting off her red uniform.

"I'm not sure." Derrick replied. "I woke up about ten meters north from here and I found you nearby. I brought you over here in the shade."

"I'm here as well." The two quickly turned to see Amari, humanoid form, approaching from their rear.

"Amari!" Araminta called. "Are you alright?" Amari nodded. "I'm a little sore but otherwise fine. Where are we?"

"It appears to be nineteenth century earth." Araminta responded.

Amari looked uncertain. "So are you saying that this machine not only transported us, but also threw us back in time?"

"It's possible." Derrick replied. "It would explain where the people of this planet went."

"Yes, just not why they left." Araminta added darkly.

Derrick drew out his tricorder. An indistinct sound came from it. He shook his head. "It's not working. Travelling through that vortex must have taken all its energy."

"Have you tried your communicator?" Amari asked hopefully.

Derrick nodded. "Same result."

"Ahem." A voice came from behind. Slowly, the three turned. A female human stood looking in their direction. She was outfitted in a long blue dress and a bonnet that covered her silver hair and framed her narrow, aged face. Wrinkles lined her sad gray eyes and she carried a straw basket.

"We…um," Derrick stuttered motioning to Araminta.

"We're Chinese." Araminta finished. "And um…my friend here, his ears they were um, injured and now they're disfigured." The woman looked skeptically at their clothing.

"It's the new fashion in Asia." Derrick put in. Araminta would have laughed if the situation wasn't so grim. _We are breaking the Prime Directive. _She reminded herself.

"What about her?" The wise woman questioned gesturing to Amari. "How do you explain that?" Derrick looked flustered. "She um, was at a costume party?"

The woman smiled knowingly. "Come with me. I know why you're here."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

S'lvanya and Vijay persisted looking around while Raina and Emmett attempted translating the language.

Captain Mooney began speaking through S'lvanya's communicator. "Captain to Nels." S'lvanya pulled her communicator out. "Nels here."

"Anything new to report?" Mooney questioned.

"No. O'Reilly and Sherman are still working on translating." She replied.

"Anything that suggests what happened to the people there?" Mooney asked expectantly.

"We haven't found anything yet that has given any clue about their whereabouts." S'lvanya answered.

"Alright Sylvie, let me know if you find anything. Captain out."

S'lvanya put her communicator back as she strode back in to check on Raina's progress. Raina's head popped up as she walked in. "Commander!" She called as she slipped back from behind the arch. "I think we've figured out the purpose of this devise."

"What then?" S'lvanya asked. Raina hesitated and looked over at Emmett. He sighed and trotted over. He looked at S'lvanya seriously. "It's a time portal."

S'lvanya looked intrigued. "Fascinating. How does it work?"

Emmett walked back to the portal and gestured to the plate on the right. "You see, this panel allows you to choose which time period you want to visit, while this panel," He gestured to the left plate. "Allows you to choose a place, anywhere that you would wish to go." He finished. He slowly walked back over to S'lvanya. He looked at her grimly. "But, there is one problem."

She looked at him curiously. "What would that be?"

He exhaled loudly. "It's a one way trip. Once you go, you can never come back."

* * *

Araminta stared at the woman after they followed her to a more private place. _Who is she? _She thought nervously.

The woman gave both Araminta and Derrick time period appropriate clothing from her basket. "Well since you're here, you might as well blend in." She looked doubtfully at Amari. "I'm going to have a harder time with you." Amari blinked before suddenly shifting back to feline form. The mysterious woman nodded her head seemingly unaffected by Amari's sudden change. "That will do."

Derrick looked at the woman skeptically. "You really know who we are?" She glanced at him. "I don't know exactly _who_ you are but I do know where you came from. You came out of our time portal."

Derrick looked startled. "How did you know about that?" The woman shook her head. "I will tell you all about it later. But first, change quickly!"

After altering their clothing, they sat in the woman's small house waiting for her explanation. She sat on her chair slowly. Then she heaved a large sigh.

"My name is Shrei'ah; my people were called the Anhu. We lived on our planet Lynaris for centuries in peace. We were a scientific people; we knew of other worlds but we stayed separate. But, one day our people were attacked savagely by an evil being. It slayed anyone it could find, even our children." She paused overcome by emotion.

"We could not destroy it and we could not leave. But one of our scientists had discovered some ancient technology from a civilization before us. A time portal was among the findings. Over many years he had discovered how it operated, but we did not want to use it. Nevertheless, we were desperate. So we decided that there was no other way."

"Almost all of us chose different places and times so that we didn't change history too much." She sat back and closed her eyes. "To me, it seems that I just arrived only moments ago. But our planet has probably been abandoned for hundreds of years by the looks of you."

Derrick looked at her seriously. "We answered the distress call that we picked up on our ship. We didn't realize it was so old. We actually came here by mistake."

Shrei'ah sighed. "There was no way to turn the portal off without someone staying behind. I was the last to leave; it must have been on the same settings." She gestured to them then added more quietly: "But I should have turned off that distress call."

Amari shifted back to humanoid. "So…how do we get back?" Shrei'ah looked at her sadly. "You cannot go back. It was a one way only my dear. But I will let you stay with me. It is my responsibility."

Araminta's heart dropped. _We can't go back? So much for being a star ship captain._ She thought wretchedly.

Derrick looked solemn. "There has to be a way." Shrei'ah shook her head sadly. "Our best scientists studied it for decades. There is no way back. I'm so sorry; I'll try to make you as comfortable here as I can."

Amari growled. "Our captain will never stop looking for us." Araminta gazed at Derrick in hope. His eyes seemed as uncertain as hers. "I'm sure there's a way. There's always a way." Derrick attempted to persuade them. Shrei'ah slowly stood up and turned to leave. "I'm sure this is a great shock for you; I'll leave you for a while now."

Araminta felt crestfallen. _Is he trying to convince us or himself? _ She asked herself. She didn't know the answer. Amari ran from the room, converting back to feline.

Araminta started after her before Derrick grabbed her arm. She looked up into his soft brown eyes.

"Let her go. She'll be fine in a little while." He whispered quietly. Araminta could feel her tears welling up, just waiting to spill over.

"What if Shrei'ah is right, what if we're stuck here forever?" She asked in a shaky voice. Derrick drew her gently into his arms.

"We'll find a way back." He assured her. Araminta felt herself break into great sobs, soaking Derrick's uniform. Derrick gently stroked her hair as he gazed apprehensively outside; desperately hoping that it was the truth.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"What do you mean they can't come back?" Vijay asked indignantly. Emmett shrugged, sighing. "As far as I can tell, that's just how it was made."

"Well I still say that I can make some adjustments." Raina added. "I'm not sure that we can get them at the exact point in time that they ended up in, but I can get close." S'lvanya blinked. "What is the percentage of this succeeding?"

Raina bobbled her head from side to side. "I'd say maybe 35%."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "I keep telling her that there is not enough proof that it would actually work. Also, it could be dangerous. But she never listens to me!"

"That's because you're not an engineer." Raina pointed out waving a tool at him. "You are a doctor."

S'lvanya raised a hand. "Enough arguing, I will consult the captain on this matter." She pulled out her tricorder and flipped it open. "Nels to captain Mooney."

"Mooney here. Go ahead Nels." Stuart responded.

"We have a problem. The time portal is irreversible in nature. O'Reilly thinks that she can make some adjustments and have 35% chance of retrieval at around the same point in time whereas; Sherman feels that the adjustments are too dangerous to even attempt. Your opinion…?"

Silence filled the air for what felt like eternity. Finally, Stuart responded. "It is the only chance we have of saving them?"

"Yes captain; unless you can find another time machine." S'lvanya answered.

"Very funny Sylvie; proceed with modifications. Keep me updated. Mooney out." S'lvanya frowned; humor had not been her intention.

S'lvanya placed her communicator back in its holder then nodded to Raina. Raina eagerly sprinted back to the time gateway and began her work. S'lvanya gestured to Emmett. "Help her."

He sighed deeply before turning to Raina. "Aye sir."

S'lvanya turned worriedly to the old broken window next to her. The sun was slowly sliding down on the horizon. She hoped that they could recover them before too long. _Who knows what could happen to them there? _ She tried not to show that she was troubled as she turned back to portal. _I must not show emotion. I must keep myself under control. _She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in before re-joining the others.

* * *

Araminta sat in the small cabin with Shrei'ah. The two sat in the largest room in the building catching up on some mending. They had been there now for two years but to Araminta it had seemed like forever. She recalled all the failed plans to leave that she and Derrick had concocted. One way had been attempting to link together the tricorder and the communicator to reopen the portal. But like all the others it had failed and they had lost all hope of ever returning.

She tugged at the small needle that she was weaving back and forth attempting to repair a hole that had appeared in the clothing. "Ow!" She cried in frustration as she pricked herself with the needle for the fifth time that afternoon. She frowned as she watched a small dot of blood forming where the needle had pierced her. She laid the garment on her lap in disgust. "I'll never get this right."

Shrei'ah chuckled quietly. "Every girl says that exact same thing the first few times. But they eventually get the idea and so will you."

Araminta sighed. "I suppose your right." She gazed around the simple place that had become her home. She still wasn't used to the idea of living here for the rest of her life. She felt irritation every time that she tried to turn the lights on with a panel that wasn't there. Or talk to someone far away without a communicator that worked.

Derrick had adjusted a little better-as far as she could tell. He took to the farm and the animals quite well. She rarely ever saw him because he was so busy. Araminta looked out the small window next to her hoping that she would just get a glimpse of him. But all she saw was the long grass waving in the breeze and the baby blue sky with a few wispy clouds floating lazily across.

Soon she saw Amari in her cat-form slinking through the grass after some critter that Araminta couldn't see. Bile rose in her throat as she recalled the disgusting things that the feline had eaten lately. _But I suppose cats will be cats…even if they are humanoid. _She cocked her head to the side wondering how Amari was taking all of this. She seemed content but rarely shifted back to humanoid these days so it was hard to tell.

Araminta laid her skirt that she was mending on the wooden table next to her. Shrei'ah looked at her questioningly. "I'm going to see how Derrick's getting along." She told her feeling almost guilty for leaving her to the mending. "Maybe after some fresh air I can focus on this sewing again."

Shrei'ah gave her a knowing look before nodding. Araminta's cheeks felt hot as she set her straw hat on her head. _I'm just going for a walk…I shouldn't feel guilty about that. _But she knew deep down that her guilt rooted back to her feelings for Derrick. She pondered this as she walked out to the wooden barn where she was sure Derrick was working. She found him behind it stroking one of the horses. It was a large chestnut female.

She hurried to Derrick. "Hi Derrick, what are you doing?" He glanced in her direction. She noticed that he had let his hair grow a little so that you almost couldn't see his pointed ears.

"When I was little, my parents used to take me to my uncle's horse farm. I always enjoyed being around them. I didn't have a chance to be around any horses in a long time so I was just taking a break and spending some time with this one."

Araminta gently reached out to stroke the animal. "She's beautiful." Araminta gazed curiously at his pleased expression. "So you were raised on Earth?" She guessed wondering about his Vulcan side. Derrick nodded. "And no I did not attend the Vulcan school if that was what you were wondering." He suddenly snapped irritably. "Just because I'm half Vulcan doesn't mean I have to act like one of those insensitive robots." He muttered to himself. Araminta strained to hear the last part.

She felt herself blush realizing that she must have upset him. "Oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you. I'll leave now." She began to back away.

Derrick shook his head sighing. "No, it's not you. It's just…my parents died right before we were brought here and I've been thinking a lot about it…" His voice trailed off.

Araminta gasped. "I'm so sorry. Were you close to them?" He nodded. "Yes." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "They weren't even my real parents." His expression turned from hurt to anger. "They shouldn't have died. It should have been me." With that he hauled himself onto the animal.

"Sorry Araminta. I-I just need to be by myself for a while." He turned the horse and after making some clicking sound with his mouth he rode off.

Araminta felt more alone and mystified than ever. _Not his real parents? What did he mean by that?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Derrick arrived home later than usual that night. Araminta awoke as she heard him open the door and come in. She lay drowsily in her bed, the sounds of him readying for bed lulling her to sleep.

Araminta dreamt that Shrei'ah was teaching her to cook. She bent over to take the bread off of the fire. Suddenly, smoke poured from the fireplace and flooded her senses, choking her. She felt as if she were suffocating in it.

She sat bolt upright awake gasping for breath. Her heart rate slowed as she realized it was only a nightmare. She looked around the room that she shared with Shrei'ah, an eerie feeling captivating her. Her eyes opened wide.

_I still smell smoke, for real this time!_ She swiftly hopped out of bed, searching her room for the source. Next she checked the big room, then the loft where Derrick slept. _Nothing in the house, it must have been my imagination. _Araminta thought to herself a little relieved. _I'd better check outside though, just to be sure. _She tiptoed to the window in an attempt to refrain from waking anyone.

She gasped in horror as she gazed outside. _Their barn was engulfed in flames! _"Oh no!" She said aloud. She knew that unlike in her own time, this time period was dependent on farming. Their very survival could hinge on their homestead.

She ran to where Shrei'ah and Derrick were sleeping crying out: "FIRE! Fire! There's a fire in the barn!" She saw Derrick nearly fly from his bed running to the door.

Shrei'ah sat up, a look of worry on her face. Derrick quickly pulled on his shoes and bolted out the door. Araminta tugged on her own shoes and pulled her hair up into a messy bun before following him out. She tore after him in an attempt to catch up.

"Derrick!" She called. "Derrick! Wait for me!" Derrick quickly spun around. "Araminta! What are you doing out here?"

"I'm coming to help." She puffed out of breath. Derrick shook his head gesturing to the cabin. "No. Go back to the house. Help Shrei'ah get some water on these flames!"

Araminta's heart fell. "You can't do this yourself! There are too many animals."

Derick grasped her shoulders. His eyes were serious. "Araminta, listen to me. Go back. I will be fine. I-I don't want you hurt."

Araminta looked at him stubbornly. "Then just let me help-" Before she could finish, Derrick took off again toward the fiery structure. "Just go back!" He called over his shoulder frustrated. Furious but undeterred, Araminta went after him.

Heat hit her like a wall as she neared the building. All her senses screamed for her to run. Smoke choked her and she doubled over coughing.

Thinking quickly, she tore the bottom off of her nightgown. Immediately, she dunked it into a bucket of water that always sat next to the first door. There wasn't much left, but there was enough to soak the cloth.

Araminta tied the material over her mouth and nose then tossed the remaining water on the burning barn. It didn't do much. The tongues of flame were still licking the building up, slowly erasing it from existence.

She threw down the container before bursting into the door that wasn't already open, assuming that Derrick had gone through the latter. Once inside, she quickly ran to the first stall she saw. Her heart pounding and her eyes watering, she hurriedly undid the latch and threw the door open.

Several sheep ran out, their eyes rolling into their heads in fear. "Go on!" She shooed them toward the door. In their confusion, one sheep's fur brushed against a wall that was in flames and it caught ablaze. Araminta quickly shoved it outside and heaved it over onto its back to put out the flame.

Sweat dripping into her eyes she scrambled to her feet and bolted back inside. She rushed back to the next stall to find that flames had begun to creep up the divider. She slid under a blazing fallen beam, undid the clasp and opened the door on the next couple boxes.

A couple of cows ran wildly out. She sprinted through to the last few stalls to find them already open. _Derrick must have already let them out. _A bit relieved she took a quick glance behind her. The fire was spreading fast. She wiped her eyes attempting to help her sight.

Araminta began to flee for her own life. She ducked as a burning rafter nearly collapsed on her. She suddenly bent over as a terrible cough racked her body. Struggling for breath she closed in on the last few feet before her escape. Her heart dropped as she saw that the door frame on her side was began to catch. Small tongues of fire began to form on the straw near her feet.

Determined not to die here, she threw herself through the flames and out the door. She cringed in pain as fire met her bare skin and singed her left arm. She hit the ground hard, gasping for breath. After pulling down her temporary mask she noticed that the bottom of her night shift was aflame. She swiftly rolled about until the flame died out then collapsed on the ground.

Heaving and choking she looked around for Derrick. Her stomach grew tight. He was nowhere in sight. A very worried Shrei'ah ran to her.

"What are you thinking going in there dear?" She scolded. "Look at you, burned all over. You could have died." Araminta ignored her question.

"Where's Derrick?" Araminta asked hoarsely. Shrei'ah shook her head. "I haven't seen him. Come into the house. Look! The neighbors have come to help." Araminta glanced around to see a few people throwing small buckets of water at the scorching building. Araminta could tell that Shrei'ah knew that even that couldn't save the structure. She climbed clumsily to her feet.

"I'm going back in," Araminta said in a croaky yet resolute voice.

"No!" Shrei'ah begged. "You'll be killed." Araminta slowly pulled away.

"I have to save Derrick!" She looked frightfully at the blazing structure as she dashed into the other side of the barn.

She swiftly pulled the mask over her nose and she shaded her eyes with her hand in search of Derrick. "Derrick!" She called. "Derrick where are you?"

Suddenly she heard a familiar whinny. Araminta turned her head to locate the sound. _Derrick's horse! She's still in here._

She gazed around her stomach tightening as she tried to locate the sound._Which way? I can't even see ten feet in front of me! _She worried as she looked from right to left. She closed her eyes momentarily hoping that the horse would cry outagain.

"_NEIGH_!" The call came for a second time. Araminta's heart leaped. _That way! _She was almost certain as she headed in the direction of the sound; no longer knowing which way was out.

She bent down to crawl carefully under a burning rafter that had buckled. Gingerly she eased out, recoiling at the cracking and groaning the structure was now making. Nerves to the limit, she tensely ran toward the horse. She saw a chestnut blur as smoke obstructed her vision, now knowing that this was the right way.

As she approached her, she could see the horses' fear. She was thrashing about and whinnying as she saw her rescuer. Araminta darted over the straw that now licked at her feet with fire. Her heart stopped at the sight in front of her.

_Derrick was lying motionless and burned in front of the horses' box!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

S'lvanya paced from the portal to the window. She stole a glance out. _Thirty-six hours…how much longer until O'Reilly- _Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed Raina bounding over in the corner of her eye. S'lvanya could feel churning emotions flowing from Raina.

As she approached, Raina's face was stern. "Sir, you'd better come see this." S'lvanya followed Raina her feelings a little on edge. _What could possibly be wrong now? _

Raina led her to a table at the edge of the room. Dust was caked on the surface but S'lvanya could make out what looked almost like keyboard. In a place where the dust had been cleared, Raina pushed a button. A life-size hazy hologram was projected behind them. S'lvanya turned to see an older woman who was gazing worriedly around.

"To anyone who comes to this planet, I warn you!" The hologram's voice was croaky from the transmissions age. "This planet is inhabited by a strange being. It is relentless; it will kill anything or anyone on sight. My people have been forced to evacuate; quickly leave while you can-" She was interrupted by a bloodcurdling screech. The woman quickly turned off her warning.

Suddenly, the same roar sounded again, but closer this time. Raina's eyes grew large as she looked over at S'lvanya. "What do we do?" She whispered hoarsely. "That last one wasn't part of the projection, it was real!"

S'lvanya snapped her head as something materialized at the other side of the room. Everyone was still. A large bright being was there. It was larger than any of them; a giant energy ball. It was very colorful, purple, blue, and green, all swirling and sparkling like it was reflecting the sun. It was almost beautiful. S'lvanya inconspicuously pulled out her tricorder and began to scan it.

Abruptly the being changed itself to completely red. _What is it doing now- _S'lvanya's thoughts were interrupted as it shot several energy bolts at her. She dropped the tricorder and fell to the ground as the electric like shock throbbed through her body.

Some of her hair stuck out of the braid she usually wore and she was covered with what looked like small electric burns. Vijay went to grab his phaser as S'lvanya sat up. "Rao no!" S'lvanya managed. Vijay begrudgingly drew his hand back. Emmett rushed over to S'lvanya and pulled out his medical tricorder. "Just a small electric shock. Nothing I can't repair." S'lvanya watched as the being moved around the room. And just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished. Emmett's face grew serious. "It could have been much worse I'm afraid. If I'm right, that being could kill." S'lvanya stood and dusted herself off. "I am fine." She looked over at Raina. "How close are you to being done with modifications?"

"I'm nearly finished."

S'lvanya nodded and Raina proceeded with her work. S'lvanya pulled out her tricorder and hailed the ship. "Nels to Eclipse."

"Captain here. Go ahead Nels."

After updating the captain, she requested that he beam down a universal translator. "I don't think it'll do you any good Nels, with that creature." He responded doubt clearly in his voice.

"I am not sure, but I think that it is sentient." S'lvanya replied.

"Are you trying to say that you've got a gut feeling Nels?" He joked.

"Captain, I was simply stating that I have a theory. You know as well as I that Vulcans do not have 'gut feelings'."

"Alright, I'll have McFadden beam one down," He answered noting that she was not amused. "Oh and Sylvie, be careful."

Soon S'lvanya saw the translator materializing not far off. She picked it up along with her tricorder and began work. She fed the readings she got from her tricorder into the translator to see if there were any matches. S'lvanya was not surprised to see that there was one. It intrigued her. _Curious, there are no records of any beings like this, yet there is almost an exact match for its transmission in the translator. _S'lvanya set the translator on the appropriate settings and walked over to the portal where Raina stood working.

"And…done." Raina turned a smile on her face. "If my hypothesis is correct this device should work reversely now. Rescue can begin immediately." S'lvanya turned to her. "Well done Commander. But before we attempt retrieval, I want to test out my own hypothesis."

"I recommend that we start the rescue right away…sir." Raina added her opinion. S'lvanya nodded to her. "Your concern will be noted. Rescue will begin on my word." Raina bobbed her head respectfully.

"O'Reilly, please play that transmission again."

Raina obeyed and just as before, after the transmission ended, the creature reappeared. S'lvanya turned on the translator. "I am Commander S'lvanya Nels from the Federation Starship Eclipse. We are peaceful explorers."

Silence ensued. Soon, a female robot like voice pulsed through the translator. "How is it your thoughts are in my thoughts?" S'lvanya gestured to the device.

"This device allows us to communicate with you. We wish you no harm."

"Why have you come here?" The being asked. "We answered an old distress call and some of our crew were thrown back in time with that machine." S'lvanya pointed to the arch.

"You are not like…the others?"

"You mean the people before us? What did they do?" S'lvanya asked the creature.

The being was silent for a moment. Then it turned a flaming red once more.

"They were evil. They stole The Next."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Araminta quickly leaned over Derrick. "Oh Derrick," She whispered sadly. She hurriedly felt for a pulse in his neck. It was weak, but it was there. Her small relief twisted into anxiety as she imagined trying to carry him herself out of the burning building.

"Come on Derrick!" She exasperatedly smacked his cheeks in an attempt to rouse him. He stirred a bit and opened his eyes.

"Araminta?" He asked in a shaky voice. "What are you doing?"

"Come on!" Araminta tried desperately to yank him to his feet. "We've got to get you out of here!" Derrick slowly shook his head.

"No Araminta. It's too late for me. Save yourself while you can."

"No!" Araminta insisted stubbornly. "I'm not leaving you here to die! So you'd better hurry or we both will!" Slowly she helped Derrick to his wobbly feet.

"My horse." He muttered almost inaudibly. Araminta sighed in frustration as she fumbled clumsily with the lock one handed in a rescue attempt. _Come on! Come on! _She thought her heart pounding wildly. Completely desperate, she kicked the door angrily. Finally, it loosened enough for the horse to escape. Araminta did not check to see if it had made it out alive.

She rapidly returned her attention to Derrick. He was unable to stand on his own. He shook violently as a cough seized his body and left him wheezing. Araminta could tell that he had inhaled too much smoke. _I hope that I can get him out of here before he collapses, or worse this whole building does. _Araminta's chest felt stabs of pain. She was unsure if it was from smoke or from her heart's ever rising pulse.

She slung Derrick's arm over her shoulder as she pondered the direction of their escape.

"Come on Derrick! Lean on me." She commanded. He silently obeyed. Flames crackled around them and smoke filled the air. Araminta tried her best to stifle her urge to cough.

She followed her best guess of the way out and hobbled gradually in that course. They had not made much progress before Derrick slumped over. Araminta nearly lost her balance as she felt Derrick's full weight. Panic rising like bile in her throat she tried desperately to drag him on, but to no avail.

Just as all hope was lost, a small dark animal charged past. It swiftly transformed to humanoid form. "Amari!" Araminta gasped. "Thank goodness!"

"Quickly!" Amari hissed as she snatched Derrick's other arm and threw it over her shoulder. "This way!" She ordered over the noisy blazes.

Araminta was surprised how easily small Amari could nearly pick Derrick up as she followed her uncertainly in the opposite direction that she herself had been heading earlier.

"How do you know it's this way?" She questioned as they darted through the fire.

"I have feline senses. That means they are on higher frequency than most humans."

_If your senses are so good, _Araminta thought irritably. _Then how come you didn't know about this fire until now? _

Her thoughts were interrupted as the building began to sway around them. "It's too late!" Araminta yelled to Amari her eyes stinging as smoke choked them. "We'll be crushed!"

"No!" Amari answered. "We're almost there, we can make it! Just follow me."

Araminta trailed her half dragging half carrying Derrick along.

In a moment, Araminta saw a glimmer of the night sky ahead of them. Hope sprang up in her. _We're going to make it! _She told herself encouragingly. _Just push a little more…_

All of a sudden, they were out. She threw herself in the grass, relishing the cool fell of it.

Amari and Araminta turned their heads as splintering cracks filled the air. They were just in time to watch as the building shuddered to the ground as it totally collapsed. Sparks flew in the air and wood chips rained around them. Araminta shivered. _That was too close. _

"I want you both inside now!" Amari hissed close to her ear. "I've got to get you two fixed up before the Dr. from this dark age does!" She quickly reverted back to feline and dashed to the cabin.

"Come on Derrick!" Araminta shook Derrick a little. "Wake up before someone comes over and sees your green blood!" Derrick opened his eyes and with all the effort he could muster, and the help of Araminta, they made it back to the house.

Carefully, Amari and Araminta laid Derrick on one of the beds. Amari looked him over.

"Nothing too serious. He has mostly first degree burns but a few in the second degree. I'm more worried about all the smoke that he breathed in." She pulled out her medical supplies and set them next to Derrick on the bed.

"I'm going to give him 30 ccs of ibuprotozine for smoke inhalation. Can you wipe off any scratches where you can see green blood?"

Araminta quickly fetched a wet cloth and began dabbing at his blood marks. Thankfully he hadn't bled much. She also smoothed his hair over his pointed ears so that they would not be readily visible.

Soon, Amari had readied her hypospray and she injected it into his neck. Derrick coughed and spluttered several times before his chest lie still. Araminta's heart filled with panic.

"Amari! What did you do?! He's dead!" She cried.

"What in the…" Amari muttered quietly as she quickly scrambled together an antidote. She administered it and watched for results. Araminta quickly felt for his pulse.

"It's barely there! Quick do something!"

"This would be so much easier if we were on the ship!" Amari grumbled as she dug through her case. "I need a cortical stimulator." She pulled out a device and laid it on Derrick's head. Amari pressed a button on a remote that she held. Derrick's body jerked. Amari pressed it once more. Derrick jolted again. Finally, he heaved a great breath and went in to a spasm of coughs. Araminta breathed in relief.

"He's going to have to fight that cough himself." Amari eyed Derrick suspiciously as she took another tool from her kit. She began to mend his worst burns.

"In Med school," Amari went on. "The only humanoid I ever heard of having a reaction like that to ibuprotizone was not a Vulcan." She looked seriously at Araminta. "He was a Romulan." Araminta's eyes grew large. Amari pulled his bangs away from his eyebrows. Sure enough, a barely there V mark lined his forehead. "So that's what that means." Araminta gasped.

"Romulans," Amari continued. "Don't use much medical treatment, since their belief is that only the strong survive. This makes them very susceptible to several medications including ibuprotizone. It shuts their systems down completely."

"But, why would he lie about his genetics?" Araminta asked a little shocked. "He endangered himself by keeping it a secret!"

Amari shrugged. "Maybe he felt that Starfleet wouldn't accept his application if they knew the truth." She looked darkly at Araminta. "If Starfleet ever found out that he lied on his paper, it'd be the end of his career."

She sighed and looked over Araminta. "Looks like just a few superficial burns. There is one bad one on your arm but I'll patch it up." She tried hard to sound cheerful but failed. "You at least were sensible enough to wear something over your nose to keep out smoke."

She pulled out a tool and healed Araminta's bad burn before readying a new hypospray.

"You sure you're not part Romulan too?" Amari asked with a teasing gleam in her eyes.

Araminta smiled. "Positive."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

S'lvanya looked inquisitively at the being. "The Next?"

"The Next of my kind. The beings of this planet stole it for its immense power. I kill them because they took it. I must have it back. Soon it will emerge and I will cease to exist. But I am unable to locate it." The being slowly flared back to its original color. The being talked strangely, S'lvanya struggled to make it out.

Raina glanced over at S'lvanya. "Is she talking about some sort of egg?" S'lvanya nodded. "I believe so. She is just a mother whose baby has been taken away. But I am afraid that if it is not returned, this species will die."

Raina, who suddenly had a hunch, began scanning the being with her own tricorder. Her eyes grew large. "Commander, look at this! The readings I just took for this mother being are the same as those that I took from the time arch earlier!" S'lvanya looked over the readings.

"I believe we have located The Next." She looked seriously at the mother being. "We have found your offspring. We will return it to you. But we ask that you allow us to use the reverse settings on the arch first so that we can rescue our people." The being was quiet for a moment.

"It will not work. It will explode, you will cease to exist. The Next will cease to exist. Your others will remain lost."

Raina looked as if she wanted to disagree. S'lvanya held up her hand to her. "Is there any way that you could return our people if we extracted The Next from this machine?"

"I have more power than the Next. If it is returned, I will make the portal myself. It not be exact time they arrived in, but you have no other option." The being drew closer. "I will cease to exist in fifty revolutions of my time. You would call it one hour. If you are not back by then, you will be lost as well."

S'lvanya nodded to Raina. "Disassemble that machine. I want that egg out in thirty minutes!"

"I need at least an hour to take this thing apart! Remember, I'm not real familiar with this sort of machinery."

"I want it in thirty minutes. No more." S'lvanya insisted, "That's an order." Raina seemed agitated. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Araminta sat on high branch of a tree gazing down at Derrick. She smiled at her triumph. "I told you I could climb higher." Derrick, a branch or two down was puffing for air. "Ah! You win. Remember, my breathing's still not so good."

Araminta giggled and slid down to his branch. "Excuses, excuses!" She teasingly chided. Suddenly they were quiet. Derrick looked at her a gleam in his eye. "I still can't believe you went into that barn, twice!"

"I saved your life and most of the animals including your horse." She pointed out. "And look now, after these few short months we got a new barn up and running."

"Yes I know. You were really brave though, and _extremely_ stubborn." Araminta chuckled. "I guess I am stubborn at times." Derrick looked at her kindly.

"But always at the right times Minty." He whispered. Araminta felt as if she were losing herself in his coffee brown gaze.

"I love you," She whispered quietly. Suddenly realizing what she had just unintentionally admitted brought a crimson glow to her cheeks. Derrick gazed fondly at her.

Derrick looked earnestly into her eyes. "I love you more than anything." He leaned toward her to kiss her. Araminta's heart fluttered happily as she waited in anticipation.

But to her surprise, Derrick pulled back.

"What's the matter?" She asked her disappointment evident. He looked around in discomfort.

"There's…something I should tell you." He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I lied to you; I've lied to everyone. My father was not a Vulcan. He was…a Romulan." He painfully pulled his gaze back to Araminta's. "But I never knew him; I was raised by my human parents, Simon and Elsie Tarses."

Araminta grinned. "I know." Derrick looked shocked. "What? How?"

"Amari discovered your true genes when you had a bad reaction to a medication. But I guess she must not have told you" Derrick looked at her in dismay. "Amari knows? No wonder she's been avoiding me." He mumbled the last part more quietly. Araminta nodded.

"Well, it's not like it matters. I don't think we'll be going home." Derrick sighed. Araminta scooted nearer to him. "I'd happily live the rest of my life here with you." She gazed deeply into his big brown eyes. Derrick gently leaned in to kiss her.

* * *

Araminta struggled as she tried to stand up from her chair. It was getting harder and harder these days. Thankfully Derrick was there to give her a hand.

"Thanks," she smiled gazing at him warmly. She could hardly believe it had been nearly a year since they had married. It had been nothing extravagant, just a small ceremony in Shrei'ah's backyard. But to Araminta, it could not have been more perfect.

Now she grinned as she felt the life that was growing inside of her. It was the beginning of their family, and due to arrive any day now. She thought about what kind of life it would have.

Suddenly, she was apprehensive. _What if my child changes history? Could his being alive make things in our time different? _These thoughts plagued her daily. Abruptly, a sharp pain in her abdomen changed her focus. Derrick looked concerned.

"Are you alright?" He hovered over her. "Is it time?" Araminta shook her head. "I'm fine stop worrying!" She quickly put her fears aside. "But, maybe I should sit down again." She wondered if this was the beginning of labor. _How will I know? _She thought worriedly. Shrei'ah winked at her.

"You'll know dear don't worry." Araminta gave her a confused look. Shrei'ah chuckled. "I've seen more than one nervous first time mother in my time dear. I can tell you're a bit uneasy." Another pain spasm shook her, closer together than the last one.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Derrick leapt up to get it. Araminta sat back breathing slowly.

She heard a gasp. _"__S'lvanya?" _That was Derrick's voice. Araminta snapped her eyes open again. She gaped at her crewmate.

"Quickly!" S'lvanya got right to business. "We don't have much time." Araminta heaved herself up with much effort. "S'lvanya! Why didn't you come sooner?" She asked. Before she could answer, Araminta cried out in pain.

Shrei'ah dashed over. Her eyes were large. "It's time! This baby is coming now!" Derrick and S'lvanya ran over.

"What do we do?" Derrick panicked. Just then, Amari appeared at the door and changed back to humanoid. She looked Araminta over. She snapped her head up.

"If we hurry, we may be able to get her back to the ship in time." She looked directly at Derrick. "But we have to leave _now_!" Derrick quickly scooped up Araminta and began a mad dash for the door, following S'lvanya's lead.

"Wait!" Araminta told Derrick. She gazed at Shrei'ah. "Will you come too? You've been so good to us; the least we can do is to take you with us."

Shrei'ah shook her head. "My place is here. I'll be fine. Now go!" They quickly began to run again. "Thank you!" Araminta called after her. "Thank you for everything." Shrei'ah nodded with a hint of sadness in her aged eyes. Araminta closed her eyes as another jolt of pain hit her.

S'lvanya led them to the place behind town where they had first arrived over three years ago. Araminta looked closely. It looked like just a field. But upon closer inspection, one could see a spot that was clearly moving, almost like a spot of water in mid-air. She could tell that it was slowly fading, growing smaller and smaller. She closed her eyes in pain as they all sprinted through.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Araminta awoke a few minutes later back in the broken building that she had disappeared from so long ago. Derrick looked around confused. "How long have we been gone?"

"A little over two days." Emmett answered. Derrick was shocked. "We were there almost three years!"

"No time for this now," Amari interrupted pulling out her communicator. "Amari to Transporter room."

"McFadden here," The communicator answered.

"Four to beam directly to Sickbay," The four shimmered and began to materialize back on the ship.

Derrick quickly laid Araminta on one of the beds. She cried out in pain as Amari turned on the computers. Derrick looked down at his shirt in alarm as he noticed a wet mark. "Her water just broke!"

"We're getting closer." Emmett mumbled readying the equipment. "You're doing just fine my dear."

Araminta's breathing was heavy and beads of sweat ran into her eyes. She grasped Derrick's hand and squeezed tight.

Amari checked Araminta's readings. "She's nearing dilated to ten centimeters." She reported.

"Alright Evans er…Tarses." Emmett called to her. "When I tell you to push, push as hard as you can."

"How about now?" Araminta asked through her teeth.

"No, not quite yet."

"Doctor, she's crowning." Amari updated.

"Okay, now push!" Emmett commanded.

Araminta complied, clutching Derrick's hand tighter. "One more time," Emmett called. "Push!"

Just then, newborn cries filled the air. Araminta smiled relieved. Amari handed Emmett a blanket and he swaddled the child with it. Then, he gently handed the baby to Araminta.

"Congratulations." Emmett grinned. "A healthy baby boy." Araminta took the child and began to feed him, stroking his soft baby hair. Derrick bent down next to her, a smile from ear to ear.

"He's beautiful. Just like his mother." Derrick crooned pointing out his small almond eyes.

Araminta smoothed his hair back. "He has your ears." She pointed out. "Would you like to hold him?" Derrick nodded eagerly and held the baby with ease. Araminta could tell he must have had experience with his own adopted siblings.

"I forgot how small they are." He smiled happily. "What do you want to call him?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of the sleeping child.

"I'd like to name him Simon." She suggested. "After your father, if you don't mind." Derrick beamed proudly. "I'd like that." He looked back at his son. "Simon Tarses."

At that moment, Captain Mooney strutted in. "Welcome back." He greeted them. "And congratulations."

"Thank you sir." Derrick replied dipping his head. Mooney furrowed his brow as he walked closer. "I am sorry to hear that you were there for quite some time?" Araminta and Derrick nodded. "A little over three years."

"I am sorry that we were not able to rescue you at an earlier time." Mooney apologized. "I have also become aware that you Mr. Tarses are in reality half Romulan. Is this true?" Derrick's face clouded as he nodded.

Mooney raised his eyebrows. "Is it also true that you lied on your application on this subject?" Derrick's face paled. "Yes sir."

"Then I regret to inform you that you are permanently relieved from duty. Starfleet has asked that I drop you off at Starbase 115 where you can go where you wish from there."

"I would like to turn in my resignation." Araminta piped up. "I have…" She looked fondly at her husband and son. "Other responsibilities."

"I will truly regret losing two great officers." Mooney announced seeming to regret the decision. "I give you my best wishes." And with that Mooney left sickbay.

Derrick turned to Araminta. She could see that he was pained to leave Starfleet. "You didn't have to resign. I could have taken care of Simon while you were working."

Araminta looked at him like he was crazy. "And miss out on Simon's whole childhood? Besides, I told you once that I would never be happy apart from you…and if being with my dear husband means leaving Starfleet, then I am willing to make that sacrifice."

Derrick's eyes were shining. "Well then, where should we go?" Araminta's eyes sparked with excitement. "I have wanted to see the Mars colony that you grew up on."

Derrick grinned and sat next to her on the bed. "Sounds like a plan." And with that he planted a kiss on her forehead.

* * *

Stuart Mooney stepped out of the Turbolift and onto the bridge. He strode across the room and sat in the captain's chair.

S'lvanya looked over at him from the first officer's chair. "So, it seems as if we are in need of another second officer." Mooney nodded. "Vijay Rao will take Tarses place temporarily, but we will be picking up a new officer at Starbase 115."

Viktor Rao, sitting at the Helm looked back. "I have heard that he's a Cetik. What exactly is that?" Just as Vijay was about to reply, Mooney responded.

"You'll just have to wait and find out. Set a course for Starbase 115 warp 3."

Viktor and Vijay typed in the coordinates and nodded to the captain.

"Let's go."

**AN-Thank you for reading Heritage! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. :) I would just like to give some credit to my patient brothers who help me to name the characters and stories and read and re-read my stories. Thanks guys!**

**-KittycatTrekkie**


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